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MELISSA B. WESTON Psychology Contact Information Office location: A634 (enter through A 633) Phone: 214-860-2400 Email: MWeston@dcccd.edu Website:

Office Hours
Mondays: 9:30 to 10:30 AM
Tuesdays: 9:30 to 10:30 AM and 2:00 to 3:00 PM
Wednesdays: 9:30 to 10:30 AM
Thursdays: 9:30 to 10:30 AM and 2:00 to 3:00 PM
Fridays: By appointment ONLY

Education

• M.A. Social Psychology
  • University of Houston, University Park (Houston, Texas)
• B.S. Psychology
  • University of Houston, University Park (Houston, Texas)
• Post graduate work
  • Walden University

How I teach
Welcome to Psychology at El Centro College. My name is Melissa B. Weston, and I am both the Coordinator for Psychology and one of your professors in the Psychology Group.

I have difficulty in using only one “method” of instruction, as I find that is often boring for my students, and one size definitely does not fit all.  Pursuant to that, I use online exercises and experiments, lecture, in-class demonstrations, and just about anything else I can think of that will help you learn.  I am Socratic; I believe that asking and answering questions is an excellent and indispensable way of learning.  If you don’t know or understand a concept after having read the required material, please feel free to ask about it in class.  I can promise you that if you don’t understand something, at least ten of your classmates are also unsure.  Someone has to be “brave” and speak up, and I promise you that I will NEVER tell you that your question is “stupid.”  If you need information, you need to ask the question.  Just as I expect and encourage you to ask questions.  I also know that I don’t have all the answers; none of us do.  If I don’t know the answer to your question – and so long as it pertains to our discipline – we’ll find it together.  Your education is a partnership between you and your professors, and it is a journey of knowledge acquisition and your ticket to a more fulfilling life.  I’ll do my best to help you enjoy the psychological aspects of your journey.

More Information About Me

• Hobbies.  I love to read and will read almost anything, including the back of breakfast cereal boxes.  My interests generally tend toward non-fiction, though I have been known to read the occasional sexy novel for fun.  I do a great deal of reading in psychology …it takes time and effort to stay half a step ahead of my students!  I enjoy writing, both creative and technical, and am rather good at both venues.  I am published, but that was “long ago and far away.”  My husband and I enjoy just being with each other and talking, and playing with our dogs.  We are each other’s very best friend.
• Family - I am married to a truly wonderful man and have been for many years.  We have one child – a daughter – who is now 30 years of age and lives in Central Texas.
• My husband and I live near a very small community some distance east of Dallas, and truly enjoy life “in the country.”  We have two-and-one-half Golden Retrievers …the “half” is a half-Golden Retriever/half-Beagle mix, and the most entertaining dog I’ve ever known.
• I have volunteered with various groups over the years, from the AIDS Foundation of Houston (Texas), to Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for abused/neglected children (also Houston), to the Red Cross at the Dallas Convention Center and Reunion Arena working with the refugees from Hurricane Katrina.  I feel that each of us has a duty to give of our time and ourselves in service of our fellow man.  I am an animal rights advocate and volunteered for several years with Golden Beginnings of Texas, a Golden Retriever rescue league in the Houston, Texas area.  My husband and I fostered many rescues that had been abused, neglected, or abandoned …in 2001 we had 47 rescued dogs rotating through our home in addition to our own three.  And yes, our half-Golden Retriever/half-Beagle mix is a rescue.  We adopted him following fostering him in 1999.
• I cannot abide wasted time …there is too much to do and think and experience and learn to waste precious moments.  I tend to be constantly thinking (though not necessarily “in motion”).  If I walk past you in the hallways without acknowledging your presence, please don’t think I’m ignoring you, because I’m not.  I’ve often been accused of “being too much in my head,” and to some extent that is true.  When my mind seizes on an idea and I begin to ponder it, the rest of the world seems to fade away.  All you need do to get my attention is call my name.  You’d be amazed at how quickly I can return to the present reality!